Heel-breasting machine.



R. C. SIMMONS: HEEL BREASTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.1o,19|2. 1,191,622. Patented July 18, 1916. s SHEETS-SHEET 2.

6 3 8 FIEEI. r F n v Z WVZ/WU/q Y R. C. SIMMONS.

HEEL BREASTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION r1110 AUG.I0, 1912.

Patented July 18, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WT/VESSFS R. C. SIMMONS.

HEEL BREASTING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED AUG. I0. I9I2- I 1 ,1 9 1 ,622. Patented July 18, 1916.

v 5 SHEETS-SHEET 7 25 3,0 57 25 0 IM/WESSE R. C. SIMMONS.

HEEL BREASTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED 'AUG. 10, m2.

Patented July 18, 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

WT/VLSSiEY RALPH C. SIMMONS, OF BEVERLY, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T0 UNITED SHOE MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

HEEL-BREASTING- MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent, P t t Jul 1916' Application filed August 10, 1912. Serial No. 714,444.

To all whom it may concern v 7 Be it known that I, RALPH C. SIMMONS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Beverly, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain Im-: provements in I-Ieel-Breasting Machines, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like reference characters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to shoe machines and is herein shown and described by way of exemplification as embodied in a machine for breasting heels.

In the operation of removing the forward portion of the heel of a shoe, which is known as breasting the heel, the shoe is usually mounted upon a support having a substantially horizontal movement into and out of position under a-vertically reciprocating knife. A tread plate which engages the tread face of the heel is used to position the heel longitudinally with respect to the knife and also to apply clamping pressure to hold the heel during the cutting operation. The knife is usually power driven and mechanism is provided for limiting the stroke of the knife to prevent its cutting into the shank of the shoe.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a machine which will perform this operation with greater speed and accuracy and which will be otherwise more effective than the machines designed heretofore for this purpose.

An important feature of the invention is found in the knife clamping means which grasps the knife along its side edges, preferably for substantially its entire length, the said means being adapted to grasp and hold with equal security knives of varying widths or curvatures. By grasping the knife at its edges both the front and the rear faces of the knife are left free and unencumbered and the knife is prevented from buckling under the cutting strain. The usual curved or gouge-shaped knife is especially rigid when thus held as the curve forms an arch which stitfens the knife and consequently a thin flexible knife may be used with this clamping means which supplies the necessary rigidity. Preferably the knife clampmg means comprises equally and opposite y movable holders which may be opened to receive a knife of any usual width, and which are adapted to hold securely by pressure which is applied laterally, that is in a direction substantially parallel to the knife edge, either a straight knife or knives of single or double curvatures.

shoe relatively to the knife, the gage being arranged just behind the cutting edge of the knife. I

Therefore as a further feature of this invention a gage having-the above characteristics is provided, and in the embodiment shown comprises a band or strip of suitable resilient material so formed that it may be bent by pressure applied, for example, longitudinally thereof against its ends. Arms are pivoted at one end to the tread plate and at the other end engage the flexible gage, and means is provided for moving the arms equally and oppositely to apply pressure longitudinally to the gage at its ends whereby its front face is bent to conform to the curvature which the knife is caused to assume by pressure of the knife clamp laterally against the side edges of the knife. If desired further supporting means for the gage may be provided, as, for example, a projection or projections may be formed on, or attached to, the rear face of the gage and enter a slot or other opening or openings in the forward edge of the tread plate.

As a further feature of the invention the side edges of the knife are clamped along a plurality of lines having such a relation to each other that clamping pressure is applied not only inthe direction of the width of the knife but also at an angle to that direction. In one form of the invention shown, the lines along which the knife is clamped include the front and rear side corners only, while in the other form the knife is clamped also along a third line located on the margin of the rear face of the knife. The holders may be provided with abutments which are mounted for free rotation and which adjust themselves automatically to hold a knife of any curvature when they are brought with clamping pressure against the side edges of the knife. In the illustrated embodiment of this holder, the rotatable abutments are pro-- .vided with longitudinal V-shaped grooves, the sides of which are preferably at an angle of somewhat more than 90 to each other, and each rotatable abutment cooperates with a relatively fixed abutment for holding the knife.

As a further feature of the invention, means is provided for automatically applying to the tread face of the shoe heel a power pressure which is substantially uniform irrespective of the height of the heel. To this end the tread plate and a manually operating mechanism, by which the plate is preliminarily positioned against the heel, are normally disconnected from the power mechanism and only so connected after the plate has been initially positioned. Thereafter the power mechanism acts through a spring, the tension of which can be predetermined and is unaffected by the manual operation of the plate to apply a pressure which is uniform for every heel, whatever its height. As herein shown, the presser plate, together with a spring and the carrier for said spring, is so mounted as to be easily movable manually to position the plate against the heel and when the machine is started, preferably by further movement of the said manual means, the presser plate mechanism will be automatically connected with the power mechanism and the plate passed through the predetermined tension of the spring against the tread face of the heel to firmly hold it during the breasting operation.

These and other features of the invention, including various novel constructions and combinations of parts, will appear more fully from the following detailed description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings and from the appended claims.

Figure 1 is a side elevation ofthe machine, (a portion of the central part being broken away), the front of the machine being toward the right; Fig. 2 is a rear elevation of the machine; Fig. 3 is a side view of the lower portion of the machine on an enlarged scale, looking toward the right side of the machine, from a point inside the fly wheel; Fig. at is a detail of one form of knife holding mechanism in front elevation; Fig. 7

5 is a sectional view of Fig. 4 on the line 55; Fig. 6 is a sectional view of a modified form of the knife holding mechanism; Fig. 7 is a plan view of a presser plate provided with a front edge of variable curvature; Fig. 8 is a detail showing the presser plate in side elevation.

Referring to the drawings, Fig. 1, th

character 2 designates the frame of the machine in which is mounted for vertical reciprocation the knife carrying slide 4. Back of the slide 4, as shown in this figure, is mounted a similar slide 6 which will be re= ferred to as the actuating slide. The slide 6 is reciprocated from acrank 10 upon the main shaft of the machine through a connecting rod 12. The actuating'slide 6 is normally locked to the knife slide 4 to effect its actuation and is disconnected therefrom at the proper time in the machines cycle by the trip lever 14; which carries an adj ustable shank stop 16 adapted to contact with the shank of a shoe and trip the lever 14 to disconnect the actuating slide 6 from the knife slide 4 when the knife has finished the breasting cut. The knife slide at is provided with a laterally extending arm 20 upon which the knife clamping means is mounted.

Referring to Figs. 1, 4 and 5, the knife clamping means comprises jaws or holders 22 arranged along the side edges of the knife 50 and provided with rearwardly projectingarms 24 by which they are pivotally secured to the laterally projecting arm 20 of the knife carrying slide 4 by means of pins 25 which are held in position by set screws 27. The jaws 22 of the knife clamping mechanism are moved equally and oppositely toward and from each other by the right and left screw 30 which may be conveniently turned by the hand wheel 32. The screw 30, Fig. 5, is restrained from longitudinal movement by the engagement of a reduced portion 34 with a suitable notch in a lug 36 extending forwardly from the arm 20 of the knife carrier. The screw is threaded through trunnion blocks 38 which are journaled in the rearwardly extending arms 2st of the knife'clamping aws between their ends. The knife holding jaws 22 are provided, in the form shown in Fig. 5, with rotatable members or blocks -10 forming abutments which extend vertically the entire length of the jaws and somewhat beyond and preferably engage the knife along substantially the entire extent of its side edges. The abutments are held from longitudinal movement by flanges 41 which rest upon the upper end faces of the jaws. The abutments 40 are provided with V-shaped slots 43 hav ing the sides 45 which extend the entire length of the abutments. As shown the sides of the groove make an obtuse angle with each other. The eXact angle, however, is unimportant. Along the front sides of the jaws in which the abutments 40 are mounted are located bearing plates 46 held in place by screws 47 against which the forward side corner of the knife 50 rests when in clamping position. As shown in Fig. 5 the knife 50 is held at each side edge along three lines which extend substantially the entire length. of the knife, one line of contact,

leo

being along the front side corner with the rear face of the front plate 46 as described; another along the rear side corner which contacts with the side of the V-shaped groove in the abutment 40; and a third, along the line of contact of the outer edge of the opposite side 43 of the V-shaped groove which engages the rear face of the knife a substantial distance from its edge.

It will be observed by the construction described that a knife of any curvature, including a flat knife, may be held in the clamping aws, the abutments 40 automatically positioning themselves to bear upon the knife along the lines stated irrespec' tively of its curvature. It will also be ap= parent that a flexible knife may be used in a clamp of this construction and will be held with sufficient rigidity to prevent buc kling and to enable it to perform itswork. Furthermore by changing the lateral pressure upon the knife by the hand wheel 32 its curvature may be varied within wide limits, thereby enabling a single knife to perform the work of the usual set of knives of different curvatures.

In Fig. 6 is shown a modified form of knife holding mechanism which is well adapted for holding thin flexible knives as well as thick or rigid knives. In this form of the device the rotatable abutments shown in Fig. 5 as constituting part of the knife holding jaws are dispensed with and the jaws themselves are provided with grooves extending longitudinally thereof, the front walls of the grooves being designated in Fig. 6 by 345 and the rear walls of the grooves by 3&3. In this form of the device the walls of the grooves are preferably arranged at an acute angle to each other. A thin flexible knife 350 isplaced between the jaws with its side edges in the grooves and the hand lever 32 is operated to apply lateral pressure to the knife which becomes bent rearwardly, the. amount of bending being dependent upon the amount of pressure applied. When very thin knives are to be held by this construction, it is found desirable to have an abutment at the back of the knife against which its rear face may rest to increase its resistance to the lateral pressure and to assist the jaws in holding the knife firmly as well as to provide a gage for adjustably limiting the curvature of the knife. In Fig. 6 the rear support or abutment is shown as a screw 300 which is threaded through the knife holding arm 20 and coines into contact with the rear face of the knife. A set nut 302 is provided to hold the screw in adjusted position. The abut ment also serves as a gage with relation to which a new or reground knife may be set to the same curvature 'as was previously used in the machine.

To serve as an end abutment for the knife to prevent its moving longitudinally in re- 7 sponse to the pressure applied at the cutting edge and to enable it to be adjusted longitudinally to compensate for wear as the knife is ground away in use, a stem' is provided which is detachably secured to the upper end of the knife so that when the knife is worn out the stem may be removed and attached to a new knife. The connection comprises a flattened portion 61 of the stem 60, Fig. 5, which is hollowed out on its front face so as to provide the contacting edges 63 which engage-the convex rear face of the knife. Cooperating with these edges (53 is a plate 67, Fig. i, which has interlock ing engagement at 69 with the stem (30 and is provided with a screw 70 which passes through the plate 67 and knife and is threaded into the flattened portion 61 of the stem (10, the knife being provided with a suitable hole to admit the screw. By tightening the screw 70 the knife is clamped between the plate 67 and the edges 63 of the flattened portion 61 of the stem 60, the construction enabling knives of varying curvature to be held securely to the same stem. 'The stem is threaded and extends upwardly through an open slot 62 in an overlying portion of the arm 20 of the knife carrier. The threaded stem 60 is provided with a nut 65% which engages the under side of the portion 20 and prevents upward movement of the'knife. To prevent the nut 64; from moving too freely, a saw cut 66 is made therein so that by partly closing the cut the threads on the lower portion 65 of the nut may be made to bind and hold the nut frictionally in place. When this stem is to be used with a flexible knife, as shown in Fig. 6, it is desirable to extend the contacting surface of the stem with the knife and, as shown in Fig. 6, lat oral extensions 304: are provided which have planelower surfaces to engage the upper end of the knife and sup-port it against longitudinal movement during the breasting cut. The tread or presser plate is mounted, as usual, for longitudinal adjustment on the carrier 82 which is pivoted at 81 for manual adjustment by means of a screw 86 which engages an upstandingv portion 83 of the carrier 82. The carrier 82 is held in position against the screw 86 by a spring 88, the line of tension of which is arranged above the center 84. The pivot Si of the carrier secures it to a slide 90 which is mounted for vertical movement in a bracket 92 in the machine frame. To the upper end of the slide 90 is pivoted a connection 91 in which ascrew 96 is mounted for rotation but is held from longitudinal movement. The screw 96 is threaded through a connection 98 pivoted at 99 to the end of the lever 100. The upper end of the screw 96 is provided with a handle 102 by which it may be rotated to adjust the normal. vertical position of the slide 92 and presser plate 80. The lever 100 is journaled at 104 to an arm 93 of the bracket 92 and between its ends has resilient connection with the rod 106 and also with a treadle rod 108. The rod 106 depresses the lever 100 by power connections through the relatively stiff spring 107 while the rod 108 by connection with the treadle depresses the lever through the relatively light spring 109. Depression of the lever 100 by either of these means, of course, aotuates the slide to carry the presser plate 80 against the tread face of the heel.

The connection of the lever with the treadle rod 108 is made adjustable, the sleeve 120, Fig. 1, being loose on the rod 108 and carrying a collar 122 having a threaded stem which passes through a portion of the lever 100 and is provided with a capstan nut 12% which is turned by a bar 126. A bearing block 128 is placed on the stem of the collar 122 and bears against the sleeve 120. By loosening the capstan nut 12 1 the collar 1.22 may be adjusted vertically upon the sleeve and upon tightening the nut the collar is fixed to the sleeve and the stem of the collar forms a. pivotal connection for the stem with the lever 100. This adjustment is provided to enable the initial position of the plate 80 to be varied as desired. The tension of the spring 109 may be adjusted by the wing clamp nut 130 on the rod 108. The lever 156 and its connected parts, including the tread plate 80, are held elevated by a tension spring 136, Fig. 2, attached between the rod 106 and a relatively stationary portion of the machine. The lever 156 and the connected tread plate operating mechanism are normally free from the power actuating mechanism and the tread plate may consequently be readily depressed manually by the treadle 150. The treadle rod 108 is connected at its lower end, Fig. 1, with the treadle which is fulcrumed on the shaft 152. The lower end of the rod 106 is connected at 15% to the lever 156, Fig. 3, which is pivoted at 158. On an offset of the rear end of the lever 156 is mounted for vertical adjustment a ratchet plate 160. A cam lever 170 is also pivoted at 158 and carries a cam roll 172 which rests against a cam 1741. A pawl 17 6 is pivoted to the lever 170 at 178 in line with the ratchet plate 160 and is normally main tained out of engagement with the ratchet plate by a spring 180 acting between the lever and a projection on the pawl 176. As the cam 174 rotates, the lever 170 is oscillated and the pawl 176 is caused to move vertically in front of the ratchet plate 160. To cause the pawl 176 to engage the ratchet plate 160, a roll 182 is provided which is carried on one arm of a three-arm lever 18%. One arm of the lever carries an adjustable stop screw 186 by which the position of the roll 182 relatively to the pawl 176 may be adjusted, and another arm is connected with a spring 188 which is arranged to hold the stop 186 against the frame of the machine or the roll 182 resiliently against the pawl. It will now be clear that when the cam 174: rotates, the lever 170 will be oscillated to carry the pawl 176 downwardly and that the pawl upon engagement with the roll 182 will be swung backward against the spring to engage the ratchet plate 160, and that thereafter the lever 156 will be actuated with the lever 170. Tension will be thereby applied to the rod 106 from which movement will be transmitted through the spring 107 to actuate the lever 100 and depress the slide 90 and presscr plate 80 forcibly against the heel. The stop screw 186 may be adjusted to change the normal position of the roll 182 so that it will contact earlier or later in the movement of the pawl and hence cause the pawl to engage the ratchet plate 160 earlier or later and communicate a greater or less portion of its movement to the lever 156 and hence to the presser plate 80, thereby applying more or less power'pressure to the heel. The pressure which will be applied to the heel initially when the ratchet picks up the lever 156 will be determined by the tension of the spring 107 which may be varied by adjusting the set nuts on the rod 106.

When a flexible knife is being used, as

for instance with the holder shown in Fig.

6 and the curvature of the knife is varied to any desired degree by lateral pressure against the side edges of the knife, it is highly desirable to employ in combination with the flexible knife a tread or gage plate which may be readily adjusted to the exact curvature which is given to the knife. Qtherwise it would be necessary to substitute a gage plate having a front edge of different curvature whenever the curvature of the knife is varied.

In Fig. 7 is shown a tread plate having a gage on its front edge, the curvature of which may be varied to correspond with the curvature of the knife. This construction comprises the gage member 350 having a continuous front face and at its back a projection or series of projections 352. The projections 352 extend r'earwardly into a groove or other opening 35-1 in the end of the tread plate 380, this construction serving to hold the gage member 350 against vertical movement. The ends of the member 350 are engaged by jaws 356 which are pivoted at 358 and are connected between their ends by a right and left hand screw 360 having a capstan head 362 at its central portion which engages a groove 3641, Fig. ,8, formed in the upper surface of the plate 380 to pre vent longitudinal movement of the screw.

The ends of the screw 360 are threaded through blocks 366 which are journaled to the aw members 356. v Obviously by the rotation of the capstan head 362, )ressure may be applied longitudinally to the flexible gage member 350 to cause it to assume a greater or less curvature, which curvature may be compared with that of the knife by resting the gage 350. against the back of the knife, the curvatures of the gage and the knife being made to correspond by adjusting either the one or theother.

The shoe support is best illustrated in Fig. 1 and comprises the member 200 pivoted upon the shaft 158 and having a rearwardly and upwardly extending arm 202 which co6perates with a locking device to be described for locking thejack in operative position. A jack post 20st is mounted for vertical adjustment in the member 200 in which it is held by a clamp screw 206. The jack selected for illustration herein is of the expansible last type and is substantially as described in United States Letters Patent to Plant No. 958,306 granted May 17, 1910. The last member 210 is divided laterally into two parts which cross each other and are pivoted at 212. The depending legs 211 of the last members 210 are normally held toward each other by a spring 214 and when they are separated the upper portion, which is adapted to be inserted into the shoe, is expanded. Upon each of the lateral halves of the upper end of the last member 210 is a plate 216 which is pivoted at 217 and is normally held in the position shown in Fig. l by a spring 218. To expand the jack a rod 220 is mounted inthe jack post for longitudinal movement, the upper end of the rod carrying a roll which engages the inclined depending ends 211 of the lateral halves of the last member. It will be seen that when the rod 220 is moved longitudinally upward relatively to the jack, the roll. will force the depending ends of the last member apart and hence the parts of the upper end of the last member will be separated. T 0 effect relative movement of the ack and the rod 220, the lower end of the rod 220 has pivoted to it a rod 222, downward movement of which is restrained by a compression spring 230 on the rod which bears at one end against a nut on the rod and at the other against a stationary abutment 232 on the frame of the machine through which the rod passes freely, nuts 231 being provided thereon to prevent excessive upward movement of the rod. The abutment 232 comprises an irregular casting in the form of a lever pivoted on the shaft'152 and provided with a screw 231 by which the forward end of the casting is clamped against the'machine frame. WVhen the shoe support is swung about the pivot 158 to move the shoe out of operative position beneath the knife, the

nuts 23% on the rod 222, and hence the rod 220, will be held from longitudinal movement and the last will be contracted. \Vhen the shoe is placed on the last and the jack swung in under the knife, the rod 222 will be caused tomove upwardly relatively'to the jack and the last members will be expanded to fill the shoe laterally, and when the shoe offers resistance to further expansion of the last the spring 230 will be compressed and expansive pressure will consequently be applied to the shoe.

It is found desirable to lock the jack in position so as to avoid the possibility of the shoe being displaced during the action of the breasting knife. For this purpose the shoe support is provided with the upwardly and rearwardly extending arm 202 which carries a locking plate 250 which cooperates with a differential pawl 252 mounted on an arm 251 secured to a rock-shaft 256. The rockshaft 256 extends laterally across the machine, Fig. 2, and carries at its opposite end an arm 258 which extends rearwardly and has a resilient connection, as shown, with a rod 260 which is connected at its lower end with the lever 170, Fig. 3, on the same axis asthe' roll 172. WVhen the lever 170 is escillated, therefore, the rock-shaft 256 will be moved counterclockwise, Fig. 1, and the differential pawl 252 will be brought into engagement with the locking plate 250 and the jack will be locked in position. As this action takes place immediately after the machine is started and the subsequent move ment of the rod 260 is taken up by the resilient connection with the arm 256 comprising a spring 261 on the rod 260, the ack will be locked in position as soon as the machine starts and will remain so until the breasting operation has been completed when the parts will return to the position shown in Fig. 1.

A clutch of any usual type may be provided As shown, the machine is equipped with a Horton clutch which acts, when the treadle is depressed, to connect the machine with the driving wheel for a single revolution and then disconnects it whether the treadle is raised or not. The first part of the movement of the treadle is utilizedto depress the tread plate, as described, and the latter part to trip the clutch.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is a 1. In a machine of the class described, a heel breasting knife, a knife clamp comprising rotatable abutments for the side edges of the knife, and meansforclamping said abutments against the knife.

2. In a'machine of the class described, a heel breasting knife sharpened at one edge, a knife clamp comprising movable holders havinggrooves adapted to engage opposite side edges of the knife other than the cutting edge to clamp it in a transverse direction, and means to move said holders equally and oppositely to clamp the knife.

3. In a machine of the class described, a heel breasting knife, a knife clamp comprising holders adapted to engage the side edges of the knife, means to move said holders equally and oppositely to clamp the knife between them, and an abutment for the top edge of the knife to take the thrust of the knife.

l. In a machine of the class described, a knife, a knife clamp. comprising holders adapted to engage the side edges of a knife, means to move said holders relatively to clamp the knife, and rotatable abutments in the holders formed to engage a corner and one face of the knife near each edge and to force the opposite corners against relatively fixed abutting faces on the holders when the holders are moved relatively.

5. In a machine of the class described, a knife, a knife clamp comprising holders each having a bearing for the front corner of a side edge of the knife, and rotatable members mounted in the holders which automatically adjust themselves as the holders are moved toward each other to bear upon the rear face and also the rear corners of the knife whereby the knife is held at each side edge along three lines.

6. In a machine of the class described, a knife, means for clamping the knife comprising abutments for the front side edges or corners of the knife, means for applying pressure laterally to the side edges of the knife, and means for rendering a portion of that pressure effective to clamp the knife against the abutments.

7. In a machine for use in the manufacture of boots and shoes and having interchangeable tools, a tool clamp comprising a plurality of separate abutments arranged to turn on different approximately parallel axes, each of said abutments being provided with two clamping surfaces located; one at either side of its axis, and a relatively fixed tool engaging surface on the clamp to cooperate with each abutment.

I 8, In a machine of the class described, a tool carrying head comprising relatively movable holders, bearings rotatably seated in said holders and extending longitudinally of the tool, means for securing the bearings against longitudinal displacement, and plates cooperating with each of said. bearings to hold the tool.

9. A clamp for a knife comprising a memher having bearing surfaces disposed longitudinally of the knife for one side corner and for a side margin of the knife adjacent to said corner, the plate having a bearing face adapted to be engaged bythe adjacent side, and means engaging another portion of the knife and so disposed relatively to the said bearing surfaces that relative movement of said member and said means laterally of the knife will clamp the knife.

10. In a clamp for a curved knife having, in combination, front bearing plates, arms carrying the plates and. movable toward and from each other, and rotatable members in the arms provided with bearing surfaces arranged at an angle to each other and adapted to engage said knife along a plurality of different lines and to force the knife against said front plates to clamp the knife.

11. In a clamp for a breasting knife, arms mounted for relative movement, means for moving the arms, a plurality of cylindrical members rotatably seated in said arms and having sectors of the cylinders removed to form longitudinally extending bearing surfaces, front plates on the arms, and means whereby the arms may be moved toward each other to clamp the opposite side edges of the knife between said surfaces and said plates.

12. In a clamp for a breasting knife, the combination of opposed arms, rotatable members on each arm provided with bearing surfaces arranged at an angle to each other of somewhat more than 90, front plates providing bearing surfaces to cooperate with the bearing surfaces of the rotatable members for holding the knife, and means to clamp the arms upon the knife.

13. A knife clamp comprising holders having two blocks approximately in the form of cylindrical sectors each mounted for movement on its axis of curvature and having separate knife engaging surfaces,

and means for moving the holders toward each other to clamp the knife.

14. In a machine for breasting attached heels, the combination With a shoe support, a knife, and means for actuating the knife, of a tread plate for engaging the heel, means for pressing the tread plate manually against the heel, and means operated by said actuating means arranged to be connected with the plate after the machine starts for applying further pressure to depress the plate against the heel.

15. A heel breasting machine having, in combination, a shoe support, a knife and operating means therefor for breasting the heel, a plate for engaging the tread face of the heel, and means for applying pressure to the plate normally independent of the knife actuating means and arranged to be automatically connected with the said actuating means during the operative cycle of the machine to apply a predetermined power pressure to the heel irrespectively of its height.-

1-6. In a machine for breasting-shoes the combination of a shoe support, a knife,

means for actuating the same, a tread plate for engaging the tread face of the heel, and

means arranged to be actuated after the knife starts for applying to said plate substantially a predetermined pressure irrespectively 0fthe height of the heel.

17. A heel breasting machine having, in combination, a shoe support, a knife, actuating means therefor, a presser plate for engaging the heel arranged to be freely movable manually to position the same against a heel of any height, andmeans acting automatically during the cycle of the machine to apply to said plate a resilient pressure which is predetermined irrespectively of the position in which the plate is manually placed.

18. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a flexible knife, of means for flexing the knife into gouge form, means for actuating the knife to breast a heel, and a. plate arranged to engage the tread face of the heel during the breasting opera tion, said plate being constructed and arranged for adjustment into conformity with the contour of the rear face of the flexible knife.

'19. A heel breasting machine, having in combination, a flexible knife, 'a knife clamp having provision for the application of pressure to the knife in the direction of its width to bend it tothe desired degree, a tread plate for engaging the heel and having an edge portion to serve as 'a. gage to indicate the line of cut of the knife, and means for varying the contour of-the edge of the tread plate to correspond to the shape of the knife.

20. In a machine of the class described, means for clamping a knife comprising holders having grooves adapted to engage opposite non-cutting edges of the knife, and means for moving the holders simultaneously against the said edges of the knife to clamp the knife.

21. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a flexible knife, curved widthwise, means for holding the knife comprising arms having grooves adapted to engage the side edges of the knife, and means for moving the arms laterally against the knife to clamp the knife and adapted for 7 further movement to increase the curvature of the knife.

22. In a heel breasting machine, the combination of a curved flexible knife, the curvature of which may be varied by lateral pressure, a flexible gage adapted to be brought into conformity with the knife by longitudinal pressure, and means for applying lateral pressure to the knife and longitudinal pressure to the gage.

23. In a. machine of the class described, the combination of a tread plate, manual means for depressing the tread plate against the heel, a lever 156 connected with the tread plate, mechanism including a clutch which heel breasting knife, a clamp therefor comprising arms 24 pivoted at one end and having at their opposite ends vertically extend- .ing cylindrical seats, abutments L0 seated in said seats and having V-shaped grooves extending longitudinally thereof to receive the side edges of the knife, and means for actuating the arms to clamp the knife between the abutments.

26. In a machine of the class described, the combination with a heel breasting knife, a clamp therefor comprising arms pivoted at one end and provided with means for engaging the side edges of the knife at the opposite end, trunnion blocks journaled in the arms between their ends, a right and a left hand screw threaded through said trunnion blocks, means for preventing longitudinal movement of the screw, and means whereby the screw may be operated to clamp the knife.

27. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a breasting knife, abutments for the side edges of the knife, means for forcing the abutments into clamping engagement with the knife, and a stem secured to the knife near the end opposite its cutting edge and forming an abutment for the rear face and also for the adjacent edge face of the knife.

28. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a transversely flexible breasting knife, clamping means by which varying degrees of curvature may be given to the edge of the knife, and a gage to determine the curvature to be given to the knife edge by the clamping means.

29. In a machine of the class described, a flexible heel breasting knife, a knife clamp comprising jaws to engage the side edges of the knife, means for forcing the jaws toward each other, and a gage for predetermining the amount of curvature to be given to the knife by the pressure of the jaws.

30. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a knife adapted to be flexed by pressure applied in a direction substantially parallel to its cutting edge, and clamping means for applying such pressure by which different amounts of curvature may be given to the knife to vary the contour of its cutting edge.

1 31. In a machine of the class described, a

reciprocating heel breasting knife, a clamp comprising members arranged to engage edges of the knife other than its cutting edge, means to move said members equally and oppositely to clamp the knife between them, and an abutment for the edge of the knife opposite its cutting edge to take the thrust of the knife.

In a machine of-the class described, a heel breasting knife adapted to be bent by pressure applied against opposite edges thereof, clamping means arranged to engage said opposite edges of the knife and apply pressure thcreto,and a gage arranged to engage a face of the knife to limit the curvature which may be given to it by the clamping means, said gage being arranged for adjustment to vary the amounts of curvature given to the knife.

33. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a knife adapted to be flexed-by pressure against the opposite edges thereof, means for applying pressure to the knife to effect curvature thereof, and an abutment for the edge of the knife opposite its cutting edge having an extended bearing face to form a large supporting surface for the knife irrespectively of its-curvature.

84. In a machine of the class described, means for clamping a knife comprising holders having grooves adapted to engage the side edges of the knife throughout their extent, and means for actuating the holders equally and oppositely against said side edges to clamp and center the knife.

In a machine of the class described, a knife, and clamping means arranged to en gage the side portions of the knife and apply pressure thereto in the direction of the width of the knife and also at an angle to the direction of the width of the knife.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RALPH C. SIMMONS.

lVitnesses CHESTER E. ROGERS, MABEL A. Swn'r'r.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G. 

